Audio By Carbonatix
Madison, Wisconsin’s pop punk quartet Masked Intruder has been stealing hearts and VCRs across the country this year, and for good reason: The band’s debut full-length sounds a bit like Screeching Weasel and The Ergs!, with a pinch of lovelorn Weezer added for good measure. “ADT Security” seems like the band’s answer to “The KKK Took My Baby Away,” only Masked Intruder sings about following a crush to her house. Unrequited love not conquering all is a dominant theme to the band’s songs. Cases in point: “I Don’t Wanna Be Alone Tonight,” “Why Don’t You Love Me in Real Life,” and, not surprisingly, “Unrequited Love.” The band keeps its members secret, identifying each by nothing more than a color and a matching mask and Chuck Taylors. Singer/guitarist Intruder Blue says the band formed in prison, because “crime and love songs go together like chocolate and peanut butter.” Though Masked Intruder mostly focuses on those love songs, tunes like “Stick ’em Up (I’ve Got a Knife)” provides just the right balance between gimmick and authenticity for this group of four Midwestern guys who (probably) haven’t done anything more incriminating than stealing the occasional pizza.
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